Vast and wild, with nearly 150,000 square miles of gorgeous country to explore, Montana is a nature lovers’ paradise. Whether you’re dreaming of a winter girls’ getaway or family-friendly summer vacation (or vice versa), Big Sky Country offers hiking or backcountry skiing and other outdoorsy pursuits. Regardless of how to explore, wind down in one of Montana’s glorious hot springs pools. They bubble up all over the state.
Hot springs are the result of geothermal heat from the Earth’s interior and they are definitely one of the don’t-miss things to do in Montana.
The benefits of a dip in a hot springs pool are too numerous to count; our bodies absorb the natural minerals within these water sources.
Why not hop from one hot springs location to another as you pick your way across the great state of Montana? Tense muscles relax, cares fade away and your skin starts to shed those worry lines with a plunge into a hot pool – at least temporarily.
Some Montana hot springs resorts offer saunas, fitness rooms, steam rooms and Olympic-sized swimming pools, with truly affordable admission fees. Prices reflected here are current as of April 2023.
Pick your paradise right here.
1. Bozeman Hot Springs
About 90 miles north of Yellowstone National Park, Bozeman Hot Springs beckons. The site has 12 pools, indoor and outdoor, replete with minerals like sodium, silica, bicarbonate, carbonate, chloride and sulfate.
The pools are all fed by a natural hot spring combined with cool water for a comfortable experience that’s not too warm to take a dip. In the evenings, it’s the perfect place to catch live music or a quiet alcove.
Bozeman Hot Springs is open all year, and towels are complimentary with the $21 pool fee, (with discounted rates for seniors, members of the military and kids).
Those who want to get the whole experience can buy a full facility pass for $25, which also gets you into the fitness center. If you’re up to it, catch a workout and then relax those tired muscles in one of the center’s nice, warm pools.
This facility doesn’t offer lodging on site, but the Bozeman Campground is nearby with cabins, tent sites and RV parking rentals.
Flying into the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport gives you access to nearby areas like Livingston and Gardiner, as well as Big Sky and the plains and mountains.
2. Yellowstone Hot Springs
In the south end of Paradise Valley and a quick eight-mile drive from the North entrance to Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Hot Springs includes a temperate main pool as well as hot plunge and cold plunge options.
Open Wednesday through Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday), Yellowstone Hot Springs costs $8 for kids 4-12, $12 for seniors and veterans, and $15 for anyone ages 13-61. Note that extensive flooding in 2022 affected Yellowstone National Parks’s boiling river, so you may want to plan your swims in other spots.
This hot springs playground has four cabin rentals, all complete with a private bathroom and shower. Campgrounds and RV parking are also available nearby.
Picture yourself watching the sunset from a hot springs pool, roasting a marshmallow or two at the campfire and retiring to your bed with a pause to take a look at the stars above. Perfection.
3. Fairmont Hot Springs Resort
Combining luxury and nature, the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort is situated near Anaconda, Montana.
The resort is nestled between Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park, making it an excellent choice for hikers after a long and gorgeous day on the trails. We highly recommend a stop at the Whispering Willows Day Spa for a hot stone massage and then a plunge into the indoor pool or outdoor spa hot springs.
The Fairmont Hot Springs Resort also offers a water slide into the outdoor pool for kids and grownups. Fairmont offers access to the pool free with an overnight stay or if you’re planning an extended trip to the area you might consider a single ($150 for three months) or family membership ($450 for three months).
With 153 sumptuously appointed guest rooms (including 22 suites), this resort is a one-stop shop that everyone in the family will appreciate.
4. Symes Hot Springs Hotel & Mineral Baths
Just southeast of Flathead Lake, Symes Hot Springs Hotel & Mineral Baths is only about 90 minutes from Glacier National Park and two-and-a-half hours from the resort town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
The hotel has 31 rooms (including a Jacuzzi Suite), 10 cabins and apartment rentals. The bath wing includes four quaint clawfoot tubs that have been on the property for decades and are still charming visitors from all over the world today. Pool access is included with a stay or costs $10 per day for adults and $5.50 per day for kids 11 and younger.
Live music fans will love the Symes Hot Springs Blues Festival, now 13 years strong. Hosted at the Symes Hot Springs Hotel, the Blues Festival typically takes place at the end of July.
This is one of the best hot springs resorts in the state, so don’t miss it.
5. Alameda’s Hot Springs
Kalispell and Missoula, Montana are known for their national beauty and fly fishing options, made famous by the movie A River Runs Through It (starring Brad Pitt). The spa hotel itself is vintage, decorated in 1930s glamour.
The secret sauce to Alameda’s Hot Springs is that the mineral waters run through the tap, right into your hotel room.
Those looking for a private hot springs getaway will treasure this choice; jetted or still tubs are included with your room. For a plunge into a large pool, you can always take a stroll or bike over to Symes Hot Springs Hotel & Mineral Baths a few blocks away and soak your cares away for about $10 per day.
6. Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort
Aptly based in Paradise, Montana, Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort features five natural hot springs pools and a cold plunge pool (55 degrees – brr!). The resort also has two saltwater swimming pools – one for all ages and one for kids who are at least three. All of them are surrounded by incredible views and mountains. For a day pass, kids five and under can swim for free and it’s $18 for a four-hour session for adults.
Onsite, the Harwood House restaurant serves up a variety of high-quality meals. And the tavern at Quinn’s serves up a variety of frosty beverages, including 12 beers on tap and 30-plus kinds of bottled beer. Cocktails and wine are also available for non-beer drinkers; in fact, the resort earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence last year for its selections. It’s one of our top resorts for a romantic getaway in Big Sky Country.
7. Broadwater Hot Springs
Ten minutes from the capital city of Helena, Broadwater Hot Springs is a lovely oasis for anyone looking for mineral water hot springs on vacation. There’s a soaking pool lined with a bench around the perimeter, hot tubs, cold plunge pools and a recreational pool for swimming and playing. The walk-in price for full pool access is $15 Monday through Thursday and $20 on the weekends.
A newly-remodeled fitness room features a steam room and sauna along with a cardio room and weightlifting options. The onsite restaurant, The Springs Taproom & Grill, whips up delicious meals with local ingredients, so you could enjoy a whole day there before heading to a local bed and breakfast, or rental cabin nearby.
8. Lolo Hot Springs
Lolo’s offers something for everyone year-round: a casino, 18-hole frisbee golf course, snowboarding, skiing, rafting, hiking and biking trails nearby. Stay in the cabin rentals or in the tent camping area, which is available year-round. Choose from a hot springs dip, an indoor hot pool or the outdoor swimming pool. Pool passes range from $5-7 per day and are included with deluxe cabin accommodations.
You and your travel companions will find pool tables, darts, horse riding and even live music at the end of the day at Lolo’s Hot Springs. And this is a place you can bring your furry family members along; Lolo’s is pet friendly.
9. Elkhorn Hot Springs
Polaris is a vibrant town south of Anaconda, Montana, and east of the Idaho border.
Open for more than a century, Elkhorn Hot Springs is situated in Polaris and offers a large pool, small pool and a wet sauna for guests. It’s only $7 for kids and $10 for adults for a day pass, and if you stay at the Lodge you’ll get complimentary towels and unlimited access to the pools.
Cabin rentals sleep two to ten people and include both towels and a hot breakfast. No cooking for you! The Lodge serves up warm, friendly service and hot meals near the selection of hot springs and wifi is offered at no extra charge.
10. Boulder Hot Springs Inn, Spa and Retreat Center
Near this sweeping property between Butte and Helena sits the Deerlodge National Forest, where you might spot bears, moose, elk, deer, fox, antelope and coyotes in the wild. The geothermal mineral waters of Boulder Hot Springs are used not just for the pools but to heat the entire building where the spa pools sit.
Twelve bed and breakfast rooms are available or several comfortable guest rooms with shared bathrooms. Catch a massage at the spa onsite and request a healthy meal to fuel your body for a day of hiking, and then come back to the hot springs for a nightcap soak. For a day pass, it will cost you $5 for kids, $8 for seniors (60+) and $10 for adults.
11. Potosi Hot Springs
Adventurers looking for biking, hiking, ATV riding (bring your Polaris side-by-side along!) and fishing in Montana are going to love Potosi Hot Springs and all it has to offer.
Four adorable and comfortable cabins are available and an overnight stay includes exclusive access to the hot springs pools here. Wednesday through Saturday, the natural hot springs are available for private rentals between noon and 2 pm for $200 (includes access for 10 people). Otherwise, it’s just for those staying onsite, which means no crowding.
Wifi is available at the resort, but meals are not, so plan to buy groceries before arrival.
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